Top for vehicles and the like



Sept. 13, 1927.

s. J. LEACH 1'01 FOR VEHICLES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 10. 192i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYJ IN VEN TOR.

K substantial when extended.

Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

saerro J. LEACH, or ASHTABULA, OHIO, ,AJSSIGNOB TO THE ASII'I'A'BULA BOW SOCKET COMPANY, OF ASHTABULA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

TOP r01; VEHICLES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed November 10, 1921. Se riaI N 514,204.

The present improvements, relate, as indicated, to vehicle tops, and particularly to the construction of the folda ble utrigger or forwardly extending portion of so-called one man tops, which is the type at presentlargely in use on automobiles. -In practially all these oneman tops the outrigger bow, which extends horizontally in the open position of the top, is articulated, i. e., is connected, by ineansof swing arms, to the main bow or standard from which it is supported. In addition, such articulated outrigger bow usually'carries one or more supplemental cover intermediate of" the outrigger bow proper and'such main bow or the back bow where the outrigger structure is supported from a standard 'tha't does not rise clear to the top.

The object of the present invention is to provide'an outrigger structure of the character thus generally described which will be simple and easy to manufacture, compact when folded into astack and rigid and I To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and'particularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle'of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a top-supporting structure or frame embodying the 'pres ent improvements, such top being adapted for, and shown as, being mounted-on an automobile body or tonneau of.the 'so-called roadster type; Fig. 2 is' a similar side elevation on -slightly modified construction; Fig. 3 similarly illustrated the adaptation of my improved construction to a longer body ,or tonneau, in which, in addition to the main bow thatope'rates the outrigger structure, a rear or back bow is employed; .Fig. I l

similarly illustrates my improved'construo.

tion oftop as adapted to alonger body or tonn'eau-in which but a singlemain bow or standard is employed, the latter inclining rearwardly so as'to leave practically the-enthe side space clear of bows; Fig.' 5'sho'ws the adaptation of the ;construction.shofwntin bows in order to support the. top

Fig. to a forwardly inclined main bow; and Fig. 6 isaside elevation on a somewhat larger scale of the rear portion of theoutr gger structure of present interest, showing linkage and joints in detail.

While I have thus shown, and shall describe, my improved top as applied to an automobile body, it will be understood that it is equally adapted for use on motor boats or other vehicles, and that the number of. main bows in addition to the one utilized to support the outrigger structure, as well as the number of supplemental bows carried. by the latter, 'will depend upon the longitudinal extent of the vehicle body which is to be covered by the top. It'will also be understood thatthe term bowlis here used inclusively to designate, not merely the bow proper, whether of wood'or metal, but also the metallic sockets or equivalentmembers that carry the same, these parts, when regarded in side elevation, constituting the equivalent .of the so-called sticks in the all-wooden bow type of construction. It Will accordingly be a matter of convenience to refer'to the parts in the singular, as though :the structure lay in a single vertical plane, since "the parts of in'terest'do actually he in substantially such a plane. o

In the simple formof short top *for roadster type body illustrated in Fig. 1, the top covering 1 is preferably entirely supported through the outrigger structure from a singlemainbow or standard 2, the latter being pivotally supported on, or attached to,

the body ofthe vehicle at the point in the usual manner, so that it may be laid down ands'upported in a substantially horizontal plane when the top, is not in use. Normally, in the extended or open condition of the top, such main how 2 inclines rearwardly at an angle approximately 45 degrees to the horizontal, being "held from rising further'by the top covering, or by specialstraps, (not'shown), Or extensions of the longitudinal strainers, which, as is well known, are used to connect the bows to geither and provide supporting means for the top covering intermediately between said bows; For thepurpose in hand such straps or strainers do not require to be distinguished from, but may be regarded as a part of, the covering nateri al.

In .the embodiment illustrat d in Fig. .1, the outrigger structure comprises a main auxiliary or outrigger bow o articulated auxiliary bow, or, as it is sometimes called, outrigger bow 6, the latter term referring more particularly to the outer portion or bow 7 proper, which is secured by means of an arm 8, (one on each side of course), pivotally attached by means of a suitable clamp or bracket 9 to main bow 2. The joint 10 between the two parts of outrigger or auxiliary bow 6 is a rule joint that locks in the extended position of the top so as to prevent upward bending,

and suit-able means are provided as usual for tying the outrigger bow 7 proper at its front end to the windshield 11.

Pivotally attached to arms 8 is a supplemental bow 12 that in the open condition of the top extends forwardly at an acute angle so as to support the top covering 1 intermediately between outrigger bow 7 and main bow 2, the position of said supplemental bow being determined by a stop clamp 13 on each of the arms 8. The lower end 1 1 of said supplemental bow is projected downwardly beyond the pivot 15 whereby said bow is attached to said arm 8, such end preferably projecting forwardly from the plane of said supplemental bow at such an angle to the bow so as to form, in effect, a short arm of a bell crank, and a link 16 is pivotally attached at its forward end to such bell crank projection 14:, and at its rear end to the main bow 2 at a point 17 above the point of attachment of said arm 8 to said main bow.

The manner of operation of the top will bereadily understood from the indication in dotted outline of the position occupied by the several bows in the folded condition of the top. In other words, upon breaking downwardly the joint 10 the articulated folds up against said main bow, and simultaneously, by reason of the connection of link 16 with the lower end of the supplemental bow 12, the latter is swung into parallelism with the other bows just mentioned, and will lie between the outrigger bow 7 proper and such main bow. The latter may then be dropped down in the horizontal position previously referred to, the latter structure forming a very compact stack, as is highly desirable in tops of the type in hand. In the open condition of the top any downwardly turning moment applied through outrigger bow 7 to swing arm 8 will cause supplemental bow 12 to be pressed against stop 13, the load or pull which is transmitted directly through link 16 to main bow 2 tending to lock said supplemental bow in its limiting position by reason of the location of its point of pivotal connection with bell crank extension 14 relatively to pivot 15, as best shown in Fig. 6, which illustrates specifically the parts in question as embodied in the longer top of Fig. b

The construction shown in Fig. 2 is similar in all respects to that shown in Fig. 1, save for the addition of a folding link 18 connecting supplemental bow 12 with outrigger bow 7 In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 3 the main bow 20, corresponding with main how 2, stands approximately upright in the open condition of the top, inclining forwardly just a trifle from the vertical, and therear portion of the top covering which is sustained by a back bow 21, which is not directly connected with the outrigger structure of present interest. The latter, as before, comprises an articulated auxiliary bow 22 of slightly different form .from that shown in Fig. 1, both the outrigger bow 23 proper and the arm 24 being of greater longi tudinal extent, and the oint 25 therebetween being prevented from bending upwardly further than desired by direct engagement of supplemental bow 26 with swing arm 28, through the medium of a stop clamp 27 after the fashion described and claimed in United States Patent No. 1,374,627 to G. R. Allen, dated April 12, 1921. Pivotally attached to supplemental bow 26 at a point adjacent such stop clamp 27 is a link 28 that corresponds in the disposition of its pivotal connection with link 16 of the top shown in Fig. 1, being likewise attached to the main bow 20 at a point 29 located above the point of attachment of arm 2-5: to said main bow. The manner in which the parts of the outrigger structure fold upagainst the main bow 20 is indicated as before in dotted outline, from which the operation of the top as a whole will be readily apparent. As before, the point of pivotal attachment of the link 28 to the supplemental bow 26 is so located with respect to the point of pivotal attachment of said bow to swing arm 24 as to secure the rigid locking effect pointed out in connection with the first described structure.

In Fig. 4 there is illustrated still another modification of the outrigger structure adapting the same for support from a single rearwardly inclining main bow 30, thus eliminating the need of a back bow as in the construction of Fig. 3. However, the articulated auxiliary bow 31 is composed of an outrigger how 32 proper and a swing arm 33 of still greater longitudinal extent, the joint 34 therebetween being of the same type as is, shown in Fig. 1, and the arrangement of the other parts closely corresponding. Thus supplemental bow 35, stop clamp 36 and link 37 are practically identically the same in form and disposition with supplemental bow 12, stop clamp 13 and link 16 of such previously described construction. However, in view of the greater longitudinal extent of the cover 1, it is here desirable to support the same intermediately between outrigger bow lGO 32 and said supplemental bow 35. With this in view a second supplemental bow 38 is provided, being pivotally attached to arm 33 at a point 39 lying approximately midway between the point of attachment of said supplemental bow 35 and the joint 34. A stop 40, corresponding to stop 36, determines the position of said second supplemental bow in the open position of the top, and for the purpose of operatively interconnecting said bow 38 at the point 42 and at the other end to outrigger bow 32 at point 43 lying beyond the joint 34; while a second link 44 is pivotally attached at its rear end to supplemental bow 35 at a point 45, and at its forward end is connect-ed to said first-named link 41 at a point 46. .The manner in which the form of top thus illustrated in Fig. 4 folds up is, as before, indicated in dotted outline, from which it will be seen that despite the increased number of bows involved in the outrigger structure, a compact stack is still obtained. At the same time, in the extended condition of the top the link 37, as before, transmits the load imposed on the arm 33 3 directly to the main how by virtue of the positive interlocking action of its connection with supplemental bow 35, to which the outrigger bow and the second supplemental how are connected through links 41 and 44.

he modification shown in Fig. 5 consists, in effect, in the adaptation of the outrigger structure of Fig. 2 to a top in which the main how inclines forwardly as in Fig. 3. The parts otherwise, including the folding link between the supplemental and outrigger bows, being substantially identical, are conveniently designated by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 2.

In each of the several modifications of my improved top hereinbefore described it supplemental bow with said auxiliary bow portion lies approximately in line with the ends of said link in the open position of the top or more specifically lies slightly above such line. In other words, the bell crank action and resulting'locking efii'ect referred to in the description of Fig. 1 is obtained equally in the case of the several other forms illustrated in the succeeding figures.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one employed, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a top for vehicles and the like, the combination of a support adapted to be pivotally attached to the body of the vehicle, a forwardly extending auxiliary bow pivotally attached to said support, and adapted to fold thereagainst, a supplemental bow pivotally attached to an upstanding projection on said auxiliary bow, a stop above said auxiliary bow forwardly of such upstanding projection, and a link lying wholly above the normal plane of said auxiliary bow and extending between said supplemental bow at a point forward and below such pivot projection and a point on said support above the attachment of said auxiliary bow thereto.

2. In a top for Vehicles and the like, the

combination of a support adapted to be pivotally attached to the body of the vehicle, a forwardly extending auxiliary bow pivotally attached to said support, and

adapted to fold thereagainst, a supplemental V bow pivotally attached to an upstanding project-ion on said auxiliary bow, and a link lying wholly above the general plane of said auxiliary bow and extending normally at an incline between said supplemental bow at a point forward and below said pivot projection and a point on said support above the attachment of said auxiliary bow thereto.

Signed by me, this 8th day of November, 1921.

SAGITO J. LEACH. 

